2 weeks Ago
Caroline Weir, Erin Cuthbert and co. were signing autographs and taking selfies with the young, idolising Scotland fans as they usually do post-match on Friday night. Then, prematurely, the lights went out.
It kind of summed up the 90 minutes Scotland had just played out in their goalless draw with Finland in the first leg of their Euro 2025 play-off final. The talented midfield trio of Weir, Cuthbert and Sam Kerr failed to strut their stuff and goal-machine Martha Thomas rarely had a sniff up front. "We didn't have that spark," former Scotland goalkeeper and captain Gemma Fay told BBC Scotland.
"We need more from our big players, not in terms of effort - not at all - but in terms of that moment of quality that will make the difference in the key moments." On the back off their impressive show against Hungary last month at Easter Road, where everything just clicked, hopes were understandably high on their return to the capital. But those heights were not hit and no clicking sounds were made, meaning Pedro Martinez Losa's side have left it all to do in the second leg in Helsinki on Tuesday.
The post-match praise from Scotland's last run out in Edinburgh could not have been any greater. From Martinez Losa admitting they showed the "best version of themselves", to left-back Nicola Docherty adding "excellent" Scotland had their "belief and winning mentality back", the confidence could not have been any higher. That carried into this camp.
Throughout this week, the vibe has been calm but confident. Respectful but ready. However, once the disco lights dimmed and the fireworks display dissolved, Scotland were slow - and second best.
If it had not been for a sensational save from goalkeeper Eartha Cumings in the first-half, the Scots could have been facing an uphill hike in Helsinki. And, although a stalemate is no disaster, it left former Scotland defender Emma Black "deflated". "We're at home - we should have took the game to Finland," she told Sportsound.
"We went into this game as favourites and we just looked a shadow of ourselves compared to the Hungary game. "We looked very nervous. We dropped deep and we allowed them to have possession.
" One of the most notable takeaway from the Hungary game four weeks ago was Martinez Losa's ability to get a tune out of the midfield trio. It is something that has drawn much criticism throughout his tenure, but he got it spot on that night. Real Madrid's Weir glided forward, Chelsea's Cuthbert had the freedom of Leith and Bayern Munich's Kerr pulled the strings from deep.
The latter was hauled off at half-time against the Finns, while Weir and Cuthbert were reduced to long-range drives to unleash their obvious frustration. The Finnish midfield was quick to close them down and far from feart of getting in their face. Martinez Losa did say his side dealt with the "dirty side" of the game well.
Finland head coach Marko Saloranta cited the "unbelievable players" Scotland have as "some of the best in the world", but they did not quite live up to that billing this time round. The visitors dominated possession, had more shots on target and unquestionably had the better of the few chances in the game. As Weir put it in her post-match interview: "It's all to play for in Tuesday's cup final.
" Big games call for big names. Scotland have their share of them, but will they show up?.
